WARNING: Spoilers for Marauders Annual #1 ahead!
In the recently released who is able to enter and control dreams.
Somnus, or Carl Valentino, was introduced in Marvel Voices: Pride last year, as a mutant with the power of Oneiromancy who was resurrected by the Five on Krakoa after Daken recovered his remains. Somnus is now one of the newest of Captain Kate Pryde's relaunched Marauders team, replacing Iceman on the line-up of team . Bobby Drake on the other hand is one of Marvel's oldest mutant characters, acting as part of the original five students who were taught by Professor Xavier and made up the first official X-Men team. Drake has been alluded to being a gay man for decades but his homosexuality was not made canon until a time-traveling young Jean Grey accidentally outed him to himself with her telepathy.
Ever since coming out as gay Bobby has been on a journey of self-discovery throughout his 2018 solo series Iceman and up to current times. He has often reflected on the fact that he did not get to experience a normal childhood because of both his mutant and closeted queer identities. Marauders Annual #1 - written by Steve Orlando with art by Creees Hyunsung Lee and Rain Beredo - features Kate Pryde recruiting new for her swashbuckling Marauders team, which is how she winds up discovering Carl, Bobby, and Christian hanging out in a hot tub, with Somnus clearly controlling Drake and Frost's dreams. Somnus' "gift" to the new couple is not just meant to give Iceman the queer prom he never had, but also as a means for Christian to stand up to his homophobic, bigoted father.
While Bobby experienced a lot of trauma from not being able to come out of the closet and having parents who didn't approve of his mutant or gay lifestyle, Christian Frost had it even worse. Winston Frost, Christian and Emma's dad, was truly a monster. He disowned Christian after he came out, had his boyfriend deported, and then manipulated him into going to gay conversion therapy after Christian became depressed, starting using drugs, and attempted suicide. In this dream world not only is Somnus giving Bobby the young high school experience he never had growing up as a reclusive student of Xavier's, but Somnus also made the floor of the prom a mosaic of Winston Frost's faces. Winston has to watch his son have a beautiful, queer moment with his partner, AND Christian gets to literally stomp all of his abusive father's face so... it is really a win-win for everyone!
Somnus goes on to say, "Enjoy the moment, you two. You've earned it," leaving them in their blissful, healing dream while he goes off with his new captain. This is a powerful moment because Somnus himself was not able to come out of the closet during his life time, dying as an old man without every living as himself, before Daken was able to get him resurrected. Now that he has a second chance at a meaningful, genuine life he is ing that gift along to others, giving other queer characters the opportunity to heal and grow in some way from their trauma. Hopefully this marks a true change in Bobby's self-acceptance of his gay identity and Christian's recovery from his father's abuse. If you want to see the full interaction between Emma Frost's brother Christian, the X-Men member Iceman, and Somnus make sure to check out Marauders Annual #1.
